Appearance

Maia is about average in height, and rather busty. She has long, light green hair and blue eyes. She usually dresses to emphasize her body, and always wears a long white coat, which she has alchemically treated to resist burns and stains. It's quite useful for just about any sort of work. She designs her own outfits and probably has what some would call an eccentric fashion sense. She also usually wears a beret or similar floppy hat.

Background and other things

Before the Second Breath, Maia was a reasonably successful and skilled Scavenger Lord, making a living plundering tombs for tokens of ages past or working as a smith when her latest venture didn't pan out or she needed to fund her next one. She managed well enough, and was making a living, if not a particularly great or noteworthy one. In a turn of events which would usually find a Scavenger Lord dead of starvation or worse, she found herself trapped in an unexplored tomb, after triggering one too many traps and causing a small cave-in. With no other way than through, she proceeded to work on getting further into the tomb. Her efforts in defeating the sorcerous puzzle-locks, traps and other challenges within the tomb drew a solar exaltation to her, and without it, she more than likely would be a corpse in a tomb people continue to avoid for good reason.

After she finally found another exit from the tomb in which she was trapped, Maia went about her life much as before, although she was still clearly changed. She often worked like a woman possessed, driving toward greater and still unreachable heights of craftsmanship. When not busy with that, she spent a lot of time studying the local tombs and doing what she could to learn of Ages past. Many would consider her pursuits dangerous, if not outright heretical, but she was determined to do…something to make the world a better place than it was even in the ages of legend. As far as most people are concerned, she'd gone from being simply an eccentric to being a complete madwoman, although her skills were sharper than ever and her services thus still in some demand.

Maia eventually began traveling further and further afield, and during one of her longer trips, the young Solar ended up in an encounter with the Fair Folk that did not go well for her. She had grossly overestimated her own ability, as is not unusual for the newly exalted, and she lost, hard. She doesn't elaborate much on what happened while she was a prisoner of the Freehold, or how she escaped, but she's clearly been changed by the experience. If pressed on just why she hates the Fair Folk so much, she tends to just say they stole her "precious thing," or "precious feelings." Whatever the case, there's something missing in her eyes, and anyone who knew her both before and after can tell that she's changed, and probably not for the better.

Her ability to love has been taken from her, and she quite frankly wants it back. She does what she can to fill the gap with some mixture of perversion, lewdness, obsession, lust, and so-on, but it doesn't really work or make her come off as the most…ordinary of individuals. Although it is probably terrible to be the object of what passes for her affections, she is still completely capable of platonic friendship, respect, and other such relationships. She enjoys teasing those around her, especially her friends, and doesn't seem to mind if she gets herself into trouble as a result. Currently, she's seeking new relics and knowledge of the past, and doing her best to hunt down certain Fair Folk nobles for revenge.

Character Sheet

Maia Lena Singh

Caste: Twilight

Concept: Mad Scientist

Totemic Anima: Maia's anima takes the form of large butterfly wings coming from her back, edged in gold and composed primarily of blue and purple panels. The wings bend and refract the light they catch into ghostly images of wonders and creatures from the past age, and of ages yet to come.

Languages

Riverspeak (Native)

Low Realm

Old Realm

Further Details

Boundless Endurance: Maia has less trouble pulling an all-nighter or resisting fatigue of any sort than it would seem.

Language: As a student of antiquity, sorceress, and so-on, Maia has many a reason to know Old Realm. She makes good use of it when dealing with old ruins, spirits, etc. She also knows Low Realm, likely due to dealing enough with the rank and file citizenry at times.

Thaumaturgist: As a sorceress, Maia gains this merit at no cost. Allows her to undertake thaumaturgic rituals.

Eidetic Memory: Maia's always been good at remembering things, and has near-perfect recall. She adds one success to all attempts to remember details from previous scenes or events.

Artifact: Bracers of Universal Crafting Bracers carved from green and white jade, a quarter inch thick and 2 inches wide. When activated ,they create temporary projections of essence which can act as both tools and extra hands, and allow their wearer to add 4 dice to all rolls involving fine manipulation. Examples include picking locks, surgery, many Crafts rolls, cooking, calligraphy, embroidery, making jewelry, repairing complex devices, and any other careful task where precision matters more than brute strength. The tools and other manipulators vanish when they are not needed and can be controlled by the bracers' wearer as well as her own fingers. These bracers are compatible with all Crafts charms, and negate the need for additional tools and all penalties for performing an action without proper tools. They cost 5 motes to attune and can be activated at will afterward.

Maia found her pair of bracers in an old tomb in the Scavenger lands, after she was locked in the damn place and had to go through many complex trials to find a new way out. She picked these up along the way.

Resources: Maia makes things and sells them for money. While she is likely to be well above simply noteworthy in her craft, particularly when it comes to smithing of all kinds, she is only recently arrived in the area, and isn't extremely well-established. Yet.

Gathering Light ConcentrationCost: 3 mType: ReflexiveKeywords: Mastery, UniformDuration: Instant
After successfully parrying an attack, activating this charm allows Maia to reverse the Onslaught penalties inflicted by that attack, applying them to her attacker's defense instead of her own until her next turn.

Mastery: At essence 3+, Maia may spend an extra 3i when activating Gathering Light Concentration to cancel all onslaught penalties she is suffering from and inflict them on her attacker.

Shining Starfall ExecutionCost: 6mType: SupplementalKeywords: Decisive-only, MasteryDuration: Instant
Shining Starfall Execution adds (Dexterity/2, rounded up) to the raw damage of a decisive attack (2, in Maia's case). If she is at Initiative 15+, she adds her full Dexterity instead. If the attack misses, she adds (Dexterity/2) to the amount of Initiative she loses.

Sensory Acuity PranaCost: 5mType: ReflexiveKeywords: NoneDuration: One Scene
For the rest of the scene, her Awareness rolls benefit from double 9s. If the effect of any Unsurpassed (Sense) Discipline applies, reroll 6s until they don't appear. Use of this charm comes with no risk of sensory overload.

Driftign Leaf ElusionCost: 1mType: ReflexiveKeywords: noneDuration: Instant
Maia successfully evades an attack with successes equal to her Evasion. This charm may be activated after the attack roll is made.

Lock-Opening TouchCost: 1m or 5mType: ReflexiveKeywords: NoneDuration: Instant
Maia may open a mundane lock by simply touching it and paying 5 motes. Alternatively, she may challenge a sorcerous lock with her picking tools, paying 1 mote to gain double 9s and (essence) automatic successes (currently 1). This version of the charm guarantees that she successfully picks the lock even if her roll fails, however, a failure constitutes an unwanted occurrence, such as triggering a trap or loudly breaking the lock.

Tireless Workhorse MethodCost: —Type: PermanentKeywords: StackableDuration: Permanent
Maia gains two Major Project slots for each dot of Essence she possesses. (Does this give her new ones every time her Essence improves?)

Arete-Shifting PranaCost: 4m, 1sxp, 1wpType: SimpleKeywords: NoneDuration: Instant
When invoking the charm, roll (Relevant Craft+Intelligence). For each success, Maia may temporarily convert 1 dot of a Craft she knows to a conceptually related Craft ability. Conversions where no logical relationship can be established are impossible. These converted dots remain useable for the duration of one Basic or Major project, and cannot be used to support any higher crafting project.

Craftsman Needs No ToolsMaia can work directly with her materials, using her bare hands, voice and will to bring forth creations in mere minutes, with no need for a workshop or more than the raw materials involved.
Cost: 6m
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: One Task

Craftsman Needs No ToolsCost: 6mType: SimpleKeywords: MuteDuration: One Task
Maia can start Basic and Major projects as soon as she has the proper ingredients, and can complete such works with blazing speed, often in minutes or seconds. Using this charm does allow her to gain points from her handiwork, and it can be used equally well in building and repair projects. If she does use tools to assist her work, the cost of the charm is reduced by 2 motes. This charm does not meaningfully speed the work of Superior or Legendary projects.

Thousand-Forge HandsMaia is an unparalleled, essence-fueled genius who thinks, plans and works with incredible speed, even on the most difficult of projects.
Cost: 10m, 1wp
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant

Thousand-Forge HandsCost: 10m, 1wpType: ReflexiveKeywords: NoneDuration: Instant
When she creates a Superior or Legendary slot, Maia may use this charm to greatly speed her efforts to begin the project. Though it cannot dictate the speed at which she gathers materials or performs tasks not directly associated with Craft, this charm guarantees that given all materials are gathered and all tasks completed, the design and forging work that comes before she can roll to finish takes no more than (6-essence) months for N/A and 5-dot artifacts, and no more than (6-essence) weeks for all else.

Harmonious Academic MethodologyCost: —Type: PermanentKeywords: noneDuration: Permanent
Maia adds her essence in non-charm automatic successes to any Lore roll that involves a Lore specialty. In addition, she may add an additional Lore specialty to her list of Lore topics at the end of each Story. The Storyteller may veto the specialty, in which case a more acceptable specialty may be chosen instead. At any time where Maia succeeds at a moderately or extremely difficult roll to introduce or challenge a fact, she may add a related topic to her list of topics known.

Spirit-Cutting AttackCost: 1mType: SupplementalKeywords: UniformDuration: Instant
The charm supplements a single attack to strike a spirit which has not materialized. If Maia is not using Spirit-Detecting Glance or similar magic, the attack is made at -3 dice. Spirit-Cutting Attack may be used in combination with charms of other abilities.

Terrestrial Circle SorceryMaia is a sorceress, capable of shaping the Essence of the world to her will.
Cost: —
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent

Terrestrial Circle SorceryCost: —Type: PermanentKeywords: NoneDuration: Permanent
Maia may learn spells from the Terrestrial Circle of sorcery. She learns one Shaping Ritual and Terrestrial spell for free. The spell is her "control spell."

Invulnerable Skin of BronzeCost: 20sm, 1wpKeywords: NoneDuration: 1 day
Maia gains +6 natural soak and 6 hardness, and she becomes immune to poisons administered through contact. Her metal-armored limbs do lethal damage using the traits of medium weapon when she makes unarmed attacks. While her mobility is not impaired, she is treated as though she is wearing medium armor. She's also heavy, and will sink in water or mud, and fragile surfaces may not support her weight.

She gains access to the following powers while it is active:

Brazen Aegis Rebuke (3m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Counterattack, Decisive-only): After being hit with an attack in close combat, she may use this power to counterattack with a disarm gambit. This counterattack is unblockable and undodgeable.

Invincible God-Metal Flash (10m, 2a or 3a; Reflexive; Instant; Decisive-only): While her anima is at the burning or bonfire level, Maia may use this power to reduce the raw damage of decisive attack by (Essence+5), discharging her anima through the spell. The skin of bronze shatters as it absorbs the attack, and she cannot cast the spell again until its original duration has elapsed. Her anima is returned to the dim level.

Maia knows Invulnerable Skin of Bronze as her Control Spell, and may add her essence to the soak and hardness bonus she receives as long as she is unarmored. Even without the spell, her skin has a faint bronze tint. She may add her essence to her soak when the spell is not in effect.

Distortion (Goal Number 12): Distorting the spell causes Maia to feel the full weight of her metal skin bearing down on her, causing her to suffer a -4 mobility penalty for one scene. If her total mobility penalty exceeds (the higher of her Strength or Athletics), she cannot take reflexive movement actions, and must instead take a miscellaneous action to cross range bands. Distortion also disables all three of the spell's special powers.

Initiation

Maia has suffered various indignities at the hands of the Fair Folk, and while they have stolen her ability to love, she has gained and enlightening insight in the bargain. She generally refuses to speak about the details of what happened, beyond that a fair folk noble has stolen her "precious feelings" or "precious thing." (Essentially the Scarred by Nightmares archetype).

Rituals

Maia can feed upon emotional energies the way the Raksha do. Once per scene, when another character forms, strengthens, or weakens an Intimacy that represents an emotional feeling, she may feed from it, gaining motes equal to the intensity of the Intimacy (its new rating if strengthened, its old rating if weakened). These motes last for the duration of the Story, and can be spent toward any spell she casts. Whenever a character, including Maia herself, gains a point of Limit, she may draw power from that, gaining motes equal to the character's current Limit. She may also draw 10 sorcerous motes from a character in Limit Break, but only once during the duration of that Break.